2 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
The start of chapter 2 encourages readers to think about the fear of the Lord. All inhabitants of the land are called to tremble before the coming Day of the Lord. Every unbeliever ought to tremble in light of the judgement of God which is coming upon those who do not trust in Christ. The fear of God in Christians is transformed by the love we receive in Jesus. There is still a holy fear of God, but this is not a fear of terror which causes us to run from God, but a filial fear which causes us to cling to God and take refuge in Christ. There is definitely still a place for trembling in God’s presence, but our fear isn’t abject terror, but fear transformed by the love of our Father into awe-inspiring wonder and respect. Wonder and respect don’t quite convey the strength of this holy fear though, so the Bible still speaks about fearing God often.
I translated verse 2 as “a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of clouds and thick clouds”. Joel uses repetition for emphasis. Essentially, the Day of the Lord is the darkest of days! And yet, according to verse 3, also a day of fire.
This nation is coming. And before they get a place, the land is so beautiful it looks like the Garden of Eden, but after the nation comes the land becomes a desert of desolation. Isn’t this the reality of sin? God creates beauty and goodness. But, our sin ruins the World and when judgement comes that which was once beautiful becomes desolate. Fortunately, the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers salvation. We exchange our desolation for Eden once more, when we take Christ as our Saviour.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me a holy fear of you, may I tremble in the presence of an awe-inspiring God and yet a God who loves me as a perfect Father. Protect me in Christ from the Day of Judgement. Keep me in your love. Thank you that although I deserve judgement and desolation, you have saved me into a future of goodness and beauty and the new heavens and the new earth.
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